NORCROSS, Ga., Jan. 21, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Galectin Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:GALT), the leading developer of therapeutics that target galectin proteins to treat fibrosis and cancer, today announced that data from a preclinical study show its leading galectin-inhibiting drug GR-MD-02 demonstrates an effect on a blood biomarker in an animal model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH, or fatty liver disease) with fibrosis. Hyaluronic acid, a well investigated marker of liver fibrosis, was significantly reduced by approximately 33 percent when untreated animals were compared with those treated with GR-MD-02.